Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-05-28
THE zoo IN WINTER.
CARE OF THE CENTRAL PARK
MENAGERIE IN COLD WEATHER.

Superintendent Conklin, when asked
how he managed his numerous family Of
birds and beasts in winter, said; "By
conforming as far rs possible with their
various conditions when in n state of
nature. "ith such notifications as are
compelled by the restraints of captivity.
Some animals, the American bison for in
stance, we winter In a shed open on all
sides to the wind, and only covered to
keep off the rain and snow. This hardy
animal would not thrive if kept in n warm
stable. The bears all have to be kept in
cages open to the wind, but with close
compartments for shelter, to which they
can retire when they see fit. Yet, strange
as it may seem, we have no animals that
are more likely to take cold and perish
with lung diseases than the bears, If they
are kept in a warm room and subjected to
occasional draughts that may not seem
particularly strong. The deer do best
when not allowed to have any artificial
heat. A comfortable shelter is provided
for them, to which they may retire when
so disposed, but many Of them prefer,
even in very inclement weather, sleeping
IN the ground in the open air.
1.-The foxes, wolves n %raccoons are
provided for in the anne manner rs the
bears, by means Of open cages, to give
them all the exposure they need, and at
tached shelters in which they may take
refuge from excessive cold. The prairie
dogs take care Of themselves. There are
about fifty members of their little colony.
To make n place for them we ~excavated
the ground and laid a heavy stone floor
and stone walls, making a sort of cellar,
In triangular form, thirty feet wide ut tho
base and about 100 feet long, into which
we subsequently filed the earth up TO its
natural level. Into that space we turned
the prairie dogs TO make their WI houses,
and they have done 50 apparently TO their
entire satisfaction. They nave burrowed
In all directions, and are only restrained
by the stone walls and floor from extend
ing their subterranean village indefinitely.
In the autumn they began laying up their
winter stores. They have dragged down
at least n bale Of hay and a great quantity
Of corn into their burrows, making them
selves quite independent Of US until
spring. In pleasant weather, all through
the winter, they come out and appear to
take an interest in what Is going on, but
on cold days not one of them pokes his
nose above ground. 1t is a popular error,
by the way, that the prairie dog does not
drink water"
Yes" Mr.. Thompson Clipped into the
conversation, 'and a good many persons
have the mistaken idea that parrots do
not want water and are likely to die if
they drink any. They forget-if they ever
knew-that the presence Of parrots is an
unfailing indication Of the neighborhood
Of water in Africa. The error arises from
the fact that those birds are generally
brought here by sailors who do not take
the trouble to give them any water. The
birds manage TO live, but undoubtedly
suffer tortures from thirst, for when they
land here and get at water they are very
apt to drink SO greedily that it kills
them"
Everything that lives, even o Ken
lucky colonel, drinks water some times"
remarked Superintendent Conklin, who
continued: "All that the sea lions ask is
TO be let alone, beyond the giving to
them Of their daily supply Of fish. They
play about in the water all the winter
through. In exceedingly cold weather,
when the temperature of the air is consid-
erably below that Of the water, they stay In
the water all the time, only poking their
noses out occasionally for breath. They
have no use for any other shelter. Ice is
prevented from forming on their pond by
their constant motion in the water.
"The swans, geese and ducks scorn
even such shelter rs the p~elicans have.
They do best in the open air all the timo.
We nave fenced off for them a part Of the
upper lake, and there they swim around
enough TO keep the ice from forming
on part Of the water. Many Of them,
by choice, sleep on the ice, and in exces-
sively cold weather the down of the swans
is frequently frozen fast TO it, so that we
have to chop it away with hatchets TO
liberate them. They could just as well
sleep on the dry bank, but doubtless an
Inherited instinct Of self preservation from
the attacks of providing nocturnal animals
leads them to prefer the ice, away out
from the shore, as n resting place. The
swans have a way Of drawing their feet
up inside their thick down SO that they do
not touch the ice and are never frozen,
even when the down under them is frozen
into the ice. All the geese and swans are
wonderfully tough, not in the sense Of
%toughness that might commend them for
boarding house, but in the matter OF en-
durance. Even the south African geese
and the Australian black swans, though
from very hot climates, seem to stand the
cold as well as the others.
"The ~antelopes, Persian sheep and two
remaining out Of the great Barnum herd
Of forty-four elephants are housed in q
building where stoves maintain a tempera
ture of about 80 degs. The main thing in
caring for them is to protect them from
draughts. Elephants are liable to attacks
of pneumonia. 1t must be something ter
rible for them. The idea Of 200 pounds of
congested lung is horrible to contemplate.
And they get rheumatism, too, and die OF
it, as one did only a couple Of weeks ago
in the Philadelphia Geological garden.
No; l can't tell you whether they gave
him tubfuls Of wine Of colchicum and hun
dred weights of salysilic acid, and applied
acres Of mustard plasters and barrels Of
liniment externally, and connected him
with some dynamos, or not.
GAN the cat animals tigers. lions,
~leopards, etc, and the rhinoceros and hip
popotamus are kept in a close house heated
by steam pipes to a temperature Of not
less than 60 degs., nor over So. In the
first week of January we will build a new
cage, much more roomy than that which
he now occupies, for the rhinoceros, and
In that, when we get n few hundred
pounds more Of flesh On him, he will show
off well.
'The camels and cattle we simply put
into a close house, where the warmth
from their own bodies affords them all
the heat they require without any arti-